Dusk
by Naomi Shihoin
Summary: "Before there is peace, blood will spill blood..." StarClan's prophecy to Leafpool echoes hauntingly in her ears and the medicine cat wonders which cat will kill their kin before peace comes to the lake. Perhaps she should have had the foresight to look within her own Clan for that cat... (book 3 of the Outcast trilogy).
1. Ch 1: Gathering part 1

**I wrote my own condensed AU version of Twilight and Sunset. If you like it, dislike it or have any suggestions, put them in reviews, please. Hope you enjoy! The first chapter is from Crowfeather's POV**.

...

_**Dusk**_

_**Chapter 1: Gathering part 1**_

_He gazed down at Leafpool, his eyes wide with horror. "Crowfeather," Leafpool hissed through gritted teeth, in case the movement sent her plummeting down after the two ShadowClan cats. "Crowfeather, help me!" He didn't move. The rock where Leafpool clung was wet from the rain and he saw her claws beginning to slip. "Crowfeather!" she begged. "I'm going to fall!"_

_He stood as if frozen. A hoarse whisper came from him and Leafpool realized that he wasn't talking to her at all. "Feathertail, I'm so sorry! It was all my fault. I shouldn't have let you fall."_

_Leafpool realized he was remembering the cave in the mountains where Feathertail had died. "It wasn't your fault," she mewed. "Help me, Crowfeather, please." She felt her claws slip again and tried to dig them in deeper, but there was nothing to grip on the slick surface of the rock._

_Slowly, he took a pace forward and leaned over. Leafpool gasped as she felt her claws give way but, in the same heartbeat, his teeth grabbed her scruff. For a moment, they both teetered on the edge of the cliff and she felt his weight slide towards her. Then he heaved backwards, his hind paws scrabbling in the earth and hauled Leafpool up over the edge. Both cats collapsed, panting. Leafpool let her cheek rest against the solid ground, knowing she had been a whisker away from falling to her death. He lay beside her, his flanks heaving. Their eyes met and Leafpool found she could not look away._

"_Thank you," she meowed._

"_I did it," he whispered. "I saved you."_

_The air between them seemed to crackle like lightning. Trying to lighten the atmosphere, Leafpool commented: "I must be the last cat you would want to save."_

"_Is that what you think?" His gaze burned into her. "Don't you know how I feel about you? And how much I hate myself for feeling that way about another cat so soon after Feathertail's death? I loved her, I really did! How can I love you too?"_

"_Me? But-"_

"_You walk in my dreams, Leafpool," he whispered._

"_No..." Leafpool breathed. "You can't love me. I'm a medicine cat." _And I can't love you_, she thought desperately. But she knew that she did, more than she had ever thought possible. To hear that he loved her too was what she wanted more than anything else_.

...

The dark smoky grey tom padded over to the fresh-kill pile and selected the plumpest rabbit he could find. With the rabbit in his jaws, he made his way over to the elders' den and poked his head into the warm and confined space. "Deadfoot?" he called out softly.

"Over here, Crowfeather," Deadfoot's deep yet quiet voice startled him into almost dropping the rabbit. He made his way over to his black, lame-pawed father. "Excellent pick. You know that, right?" the elderly tom purred loudly. "You haven't been here for a moon, ever since you saved the life of ThunderClan's medicine cat. I don't like seeing my kits with problems, so what is it? I know you have a problem on your mind; otherwise, you wouldn't have come to the elders' den."

The young tom hesitated, wondering if he should tell his father the truth, knowing that Firestar certainly wouldn't be pleased if word spread. "I dearly love Leafpool," he mewed, his voce soft so they wouldn't be overheard.

His father's ears twitched and he seemed to be stifling a smile. Crowfeather's pelt prickled. Finally, Deadfoot faked a hushed cough. "Leafpool?" His rasp was barely loud enough for the young warrior to hear, but he could still detect the surprise and approval.

"Yes," he admitted, staring at his father, taken aback by how well he accepted it. "I love her, Father. I really do." He hoped his father could figure out what he was saying, because suddenly he panicked greatly about how his Clanmates would react. Hastily, he meowed: "I want to be with her."

"You mean you...!" A second elder, a light brown tom called Rushtail, hissed.

"Yes, I..." His voice failed him and the young warrior nosed the rabbit nearer to his father.

"**You want to join ThunderClan?**" The question filled the elders' den. Glancing up, the kin looked over at the entrance and saw the WindClan leader padding in, his green eyes peering briefly at the rabbit. There was a breeze as his paws stepped over abandoned bedding. The flame-pelted ginger tom frowned at the young warrior, shame, guilt, denial and disrespect filling his gaze; all of which Crowfeather was going to have to get used to. _Someone must have told him_, he thought to himself. The silence that filled the air between them was like fallen snow.

Parting his jaws slightly, he smiled, to which Rushtail gasped at. "Yes," he meowed. He dipped his head slowly at Firestar, raising his head and a sad smile splayed across his face. "I do."

"**Follow me, Crowfeather**." Firestar withdrew slowly, as his eyes burned with fury. He shouldered past the young tom, heading for the entrance of camp. Following at a brisk pace, the lithe tom trailed the WindClan leader, barely daring to breathe as he padded along. "**This is far enough**," he meowed harshly, spitting: "**No**," as an afterthought.

"With all due respect, Firestar," Crowfeather mewed curtly. His bluntness appeared to have startled the leader, but Firestar quickly regained his self-control, grumbling something about needing every able-bodied warrior. "I feel like I don't belong here anymore. My Clanmates are staring to disrespect me and now you're doing it, too! I have no place here. ThunderClan is my true home." He raised his head defiantly, his eyes glinting darkly. He dug his claws into the ground, steadying himself, as if preparing to bolt.

"**You were born in WindClan; you will stay in WindClan**," Firestar's tone was sharp and unforgiving as he eyed the young tom, who'd had his warrior ceremony just two moons ago, coldly.

"Your grandfather wasn't WindClan-born! And your mother wasn't even Clan-born!" Crowfeather spat, seeming to realize he wasn't going to get anywhere. "His blood was that of SkyClan. Don't restrain a full-blood WindClan cat when you yourself are part kittypet!" The young tom stalked off angrily, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Foxheart!" to Firestar.

"**For that, you are restricted to dawn patrols for the next two moons!**" Firestar growled back. He stayed at a distance and watched as Firestar leaped onto the Highledge. "**Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting**," his leader's voice rang out loud and clear, startling most dozing cats nearby. They glanced up before bounding over. "**At this meeting, I will declare who will be going to the Gathering**." Firestar's gaze travelled over the cats as they continued to gather, no hesitation in his voice, even if it wavered slightly due to the still-fresh grief he carried for his former deputy, Sloepelt, who had been murdered in Mudclaw's coup against Adderwhisker. The deceased warrior had rallied RiverClan's Hawkfrost and his band of supporters, who included ShadowClan cats, as they attempted to kill Adderwhisker.

"**To this Gathering, I will be taking Heatherleaf, Thistlespots, Ashfoot, Tawnytail, Eveningfur, Sleetpelt, Sheeptail, Willowface and Crowfeather**." He was so quick and smooth in his declaration that most cats were left confused unless they had been paying very close attention. "**We will leave at sundown. I will not announce this again; you **_**will**_** be left behind if you don't leave with the rest of us. ****On a border patrol, I want Stoatfur, Mothtail, Whitetail and Leopardheart. The hunting patrol will consist of Owlwhisker, Antfang, Larchfur and Hareclaw**." The cats on the border and hunting patrols immediately set out, determined to complete their tasks and please their leader.

"**WindClan, move out!**"

With a last glance behind him, Crowfeather pushed the thoughts of his argument with Firestar away and focused on a brighter future, that had him and Leafpool together. If only he knew what would happen in two moons' time...

_**Allegiances for Dusk**_:

_**WindClan**_

**Leader**: Firestar — ginger tom with a flame coloured pelt

**Deputy**: Tawnytail — ginger she-cat with a golden brown tail

**Medicine Cat**: Heatherleaf — light brown she-cat

**Warriors**:

Tornear — tabby tom

Duskfoot — dark grey tabby tom

Owlwhisker — light brown tabby tom

Stoatfur — reddish-brown tom with a white underbelly

Thistlespots — spotted grey and white tom

Ashfoot — grey tabby she-cat

Crowfeather — dark smoky grey, almost black tom

Mothtail — tortoiseshell and white she-cat with a fair amount of brown and ginger

Antfang — small black tom

Adderwhisker — brown tabby tom

Larchfur — golden brown she-cat

Cypressclaw — dark ginger tabby tom

Graycloud — grey she-cat

Hareclaw — long-limbed brown tom with black-flecked fur

Darkheart — black tom

Sootflower — grey-black she-cat

Eveningfur — black and ginger tom

Sleetpelt — white tom

Sheeptail — black tom

Willowface — grey she-cat

Whitetail — small white she-cat

Leopardheart — golden dappled she-cat

Nightcloud — black she-cat

**Apprentices**:

**Queens**:

**Elders**:

Morningflower — dilute tortoiseshell she-cat

Deadfoot — black tom with a twisted paw

Fawnflower — light brown she-cat with quite faint tabby markings

Rushtail — light brown tom

Sedgeface — short-tailed brown tom

_**ThunderClan**_

**Leader**: Oakstar — grey-brown tom

**Deputy**: Ravencloud — small, skinny black tom with a white dash on his chest and a white-tipped tail

**Medicine Cat**: Cinderpelt — dark grey she-cat (Apprentice: Leafpool)

**Warriors**:

Brambleclaw — dark brown tabby tom

Dustpelt — dark brown tabby tom

Sandstorm — pale ginger she-cat

Applefur — golden brown tabby tom (Apprentice: Whitepaw)

Lizardclaw — golden brown tabby tom

Brightheart — white she-cat with ginger patches

Ashfur — pale grey tom with darker flecks

Rainwhisker — dark grey tom

Spiderclaw — long-legged black tom with a brown underbelly

Maplewhisker — ginger she-cat

Snakepelt — light brown tabby tom

Pinefoot — blue-grey tom

Russetfang — reddish-brown she-cat

Stonefur — blue-grey tom with battle-scarred ears

Cranefoot — blue-grey she-cat

Waspfur — ginger tabby tom with black markings

Spottedleaf — beautiful dark tortoiseshell she-cat

**Apprentices**:

Leafpool — light brown tabby she-cat

Whitepaw — white she-cat

**Queens**:

Sorreltail — tortoiseshell and white queen, expecting Applefur's kits

Ferncloud — pale grey queen with darker flecks, mother of Pinefoot's remaining kit: Birchkit

**Elders**:

Goldenflower — pale ginger she-cat, oldest nursery queen

Longtail — pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

Mousefur — small dusky brown she-cat

_**SkyClan**_

**Leader**: Leafstar — brown and cream tabby she-cat

**Deputy**: Sharpclaw — ginger tom

**Medicine Cat**: Frecklewish — mottled light brown tabby she-cat with spotted legs

**Warriors**:

Cherrytail — small tortoiseshell and white she-cat

Rockshade — black tom with a torn ear

Tinycloud — white she-cat with deep blue eyes

Bouncefire — ginger tom

Clovertail — light brown she-cat with white chest and legs

Rabbitleap — grey tom

Creekfeather — white tom

Nettlesplash — pale brown tom

Dappledblossom — tortoiseshell she-cat

Blackstone — white tom with black paws

Flamefur — ginger tom

Willowleaf — pale grey she-cat with white muzzle, chest and legs

**Apprentices**:

**Queens**:

Plumwillow — pale brown queen, expecting Bouncefire's kits

**Elders**:

Echosong — silver tabby she-cat with green eyes

Ebonyclaw — striking black she-cat

Shrewtooth — skinny black tom

Waspwhisker — grey and white tom with a scar that wraps around his belly down to his tail

Fallowfern — pale brown she-cat with blue eyes

_**RiverClan**_

**Leader**: Mistystar — blue-grey she-cat

**Deputy**: Copperfur — pretty silver tabby she-cat (acting)

**Medicine Cat**: Cloudflower — long-furred grey she-cat

**Warriors**:

Blackclaw — smoky black tom (Apprentice: Beechpaw)

Voletooth — small brown tabby tom

Swallowtail — dark brown tabby she-cat

Stonestream — grey tom

Hawkfrost — dark brown tom

Reedwhisker — black tom (Apprentice: Aspenpaw)

Spottedfern — tortoiseshell she-cat

Creekstorm — smoky black tom

**Apprentices**:

Beechpaw — light brown tom

Aspenpaw — dark grey tabby tom

**Queens**:

Mosspelt — tortoiseshell queen, mother of Stonestream's kits [Willowkit — grey tabby she-kit, Dapplekit — mottled grey she-kit and Sparrowkit — brown tabby tom]

Dawnflower — pale grey queen, mother of Reedwhisker's kits [Minnowkit — grey and white she-kit and Pebblekit — grey tom]

**Elders**:

Heavystep — thickset tabby tom

Ivytail — brown tabby she-cat

_**ShadowClan**_

**Leader**: Blackstar — large white tom with huge jet black paws

**Deputy**: Dawncloud — small tabby she-cat

**Medicine Cat**: Littlecloud — very small tabby tom

**Warriors**:

Fogflower — dark grey she-cat

Ivyfang — dark grey she-cat

Russetfur — dark ginger she-cat

Darkclaw — black and white she-cat

Ashface — grey tabby tom

Nightwing — black she-cat

Oakfur — small brown tom (Apprentice: Smokepaw)

Rowanclaw — ginger tom (Apprentice: Talonpaw)

Cedarheart — dark grey tom

Tawnypelt — tortoiseshell she-cat

**Apprentices**:

Smokepaw — black tom

Talonpaw

**Queens**:

Poppyflower — long-legged light brown tabby queen, mother of Blackstar's kits [Ivykit — black, white and tortoiseshell she-kit, Applekit — mottled brown she-kit, Toadkit — dark brown tom and Owlkit — light brown tom]

**Elders**:

Boulderclaw — skinny silver tabby tom with a ragged ear and bright eyes


	2. Ch 1: Gathering part 2

_**Chapter 1: Gathering part 2**_

A ruffled disc of white light trembled on the surface of the lake and up above the stars of Silverpelt blazed in the night sky. _StarClan must be pleased with how we're settling in_, Willowface decided as she followed her brother, Sheeptail, along the lakeshore. Her paws tingled at the thought of taking part in the first Gathering on the island. She couldn't wait to cross the fallen tree and explore.

Firestar led the way with Eveningfur, Tawnytail and Thistlespots close to his flanks. Ashfoot and Heatherleaf padded just behind, ahead of Sleetpelt and Crowflight.

"It was a lot easier at Fourtrees," Willowface meowed to Sheeptail, with a sudden pang of homesickness. She would never forget the horror of discovering that Twoleg monsters had destroyed the great oak trees where the Clans met every full moon. "Back there, we didn't have to cross other Clans' territories to get to Gatherings."

"Cats can't possibly fight on the way to a Gathering," he rasped stoically.

"I'm not sure. When does the truce start? When we get to the island or when we're on the way?" Sheeptail shook his head, unable to reply. Willowface stayed alert as she and her Clanmates slipped through the shadows with the glimmering lake on one side and their own territory on the other. As they drew closer to the decrepit Twoleg horse place, they began to pick up strong SkyClan scent, as if a large patrol had just come this way. "Leafstar and her Clan must be ahead of us," Willowface mewed. Pausing to taste the air, she distinguished another scent and a moment later, she spotted two pale shapes flitting across the field beyond the ramshackle horse place fence. "That must be the loners who live in the barn," she commented. "Do you remember Smoky and Daisy? We met last time we came to a Gathering. I wonder if Daisy has had her kits yet."

"It's time the WindClan queens started having kits," Sheeptail mewed. "The Clan is really short of young cats."

Willowface nodded. More kits meant more apprentices and that meant she wouldn't have to collect any more moss!

They crossed the marshy ground where they had made their temporary camp when they first reached the lake. Just beyond it, a new set of scent marks warned that they had just reached the RiverClan border. On the lakeshore ahead of them, Willowface could see a throng of cats; in the bright moonlight, it was easy to recognize Oakstar and his ThunderClan warriors.

She remembered how her patrol had first discovered the island. They had always known it would be a perfect place to gather, but they had assumed it would be impossible to reach, except for the strong swimmers of RiverClan. But StarClan had found a way to help them cross the narrow stretch of water that separated the island from the shore. Willowface felt her fur bristle with anticipation as they approached the tree bridge. It had once been a lofty pine tree, growing close to the edge of the island. Now its roots reared up into the air, while its tip rested on the pebbly lakeshore. As she drew closer, Willowface could see its needles were already brown and dry, falling like brittle rain onto the stones.

Cats were bunched together around the topmost branches; their flattened ears and stiffly held tails betrayed their nervousness about trusting the tree to support their weight across the cold black water. Willowface watched Duskfoot sniff warily at a twig. Suddenly, there was an impatient meow and Crowflight leapt up onto the trunk, close to where it stretched out over the water. He swayed until he found his balance and then started to walk along the trunk, placing each paw carefully until he was near enough to the opposite shore to jump down safely.

Willowface wanted to push forward and scramble along the trunk so she could explore the island, too, but she made herself wait, claws scraping impatiently on the stones. She was conscious of Firestar watching her with green eyes that gave away nothing of how he felt towards Crowflight. Turning her back on him, she padded over to Eveningfur.

"This is great!" he meowed deeply, coolly, touching his nose to her ear. "I can't wait to get over there."

"Me either," Willowface agreed. More WindClan cats began to cross, gripping the trunk with their claws as they advanced pawstep by pawstep towards the far shore. Willowface started forward eagerly, only to bump into Sheeptail, who was gazing across the water to the island. "What's the matter?" Willowface meowed. "For StarClan's sake, get a move on!"

Her brother jumped. "Sorry!"

As Tornear leapt up onto the tree bridge, Firestar padded across and spoke quickly to Oakstar before following his warrior. "RiverClan, SkyClan, ThunderClan and ShadowClan have already crossed," he explained to his Clan on the other side. "Oakstar told me Leafstar and Miststar agreed we should all have a chance to explore the island before the Gathering."

"Where will we meet when it starts?" Sleetpelt asked.

Firestar twitched his ears. "Only StarClan knows, until we get over there properly. But you shouldn't get lost. The island's not that big."

Willowface turned back to look for Heatherleaf and saw her racing across the shore to join Cloudflower, the RiverClan medicine cat and one of Silverstream's first litter. The beautiful long-furred grey she-cat twined her tail with Heatherleaf's, excitedly telling her something that Willowface was too far away to hear.

Willowface suddenly felt very lonely. Exploring didn't seem like so much fun if she had no one to share it with. Then she heard a voice calling her name and she glanced around to see Brightheart standing a little way off. She bounded over to the other she-cat. "Where do you want to go? That way?" she suggested. She gestured with her tail towards a thicket of trees and bushes in the centre of the island.

"Let's go around the outside first," Willowface meowed. "I want to see every pawstep!" She blinked warmly at her; somehow, she knew there was no need to tell her how pleased she was that she wanted to explore the island with her, even if they were in different Clans.

They padded along the shore, passing Brightheart's brother, Applefur, who was sharpening his claws on the trunk of another pine. "This is good," he meowed. "It's much safer than where we gathered last time, near the horse place." His claws sharpened to his satisfaction, he sat down and stared out across the gently lapping water.

Willowface and Brightheart skirted an outcrop of rocks leading down to the water and came to a wider stretch of pebbles and sandy earth, broken up here and there by small, gleaming pools. Willowface crouched down beside one, tongue extended to lap and then sprang back with a mew of surprise. "There are fish in here!"

Brightheart padded up beside her and looked interestedly into the water. "I can't see any."

"Tiny fish; look, there!" Willowface pointed with a paw as a sleek shape flickered from the shelter of one rock to another. "Too small for prey, though," she added regretfully. "Let's keep going."

The island shore grew rockier further around, where the vast, glittering lake stretched all the way to their own territory. Willowface could just make out the mass of trees with the dark bulk of the moor land rising above them.

"This would be great to sun ourselves on dry days," Brightheart commented, gazing up at a smooth grey boulder splotched with lichen. "We haven't found anything like Sunningrocks in our territory."

"No, but we haven't explored it all yet," Willowface reminded her. "And it would be a very long way to come to warm our pelts!"

As they scrambled over the boulder, claws scraping for balance, she caught a glimpse of Crowflight and Leafberry nearer the centre of the island. They were padding side by side, their heads down as they talked. They didn't seem interested in exploring their surroundings and they took no notice of the cats from all Clans that swarmed around them. Willowface wrenched her gaze away from Crowflight and called a greeting to Tawnypelt, who was peering under a bush with a young ShadowClan warrior Willowface didn't recognize. Tawnypelt acknowledged her with a flick of her tail, but didn't speak; Willowface guessed she was keeping an eye on her prey.

The ShadowClan deputy, Dawncloud, was sniffing around the bottom of a rock, flanked by her Clanmates Nightwing and Rowanclaw. Willowface changed direction to avoid them. Tawnypelt was as close to a 'friend' as she got.

"Have you noticed how we've split up into our Clans again?" she mewed to Brightheart. "It's as if the journey from the forest never happened."

"Crowflight is over there with Leafberry," Brightheart pointed out, flicking her tail in the pair's direction.

The moon had risen high in the sky by the time the two cats made a complete circuit of the island. Willowface bounded down to the lake beside the tree bridge and gulped a few mouthfuls; the water was icy cold and as she lapped at the glittering surface, she felt as if she were drinking starlight.

"I can see why Hawkfrost wanted this to be part of RiverClan's camp," Brightheart mewed. "There's everything a cat could want here!"

"Except enough prey," Willowface pointed out. "RiverClan don't eat fish all the time. Imagine trying to swim across with fresh-kill in your jaws."

Brightheart shifted uneasily. "I hope RiverClan don't change their mind now that the tree bridge is here."

Willowface stared at her in alarm. "They _wouldn't!_" she protested. "StarClan put the tree here for all of us."

"If Miststar is planning on claiming the island for RiverClan, we'll find out soon. The Gathering must be due to start." Brightheart glanced up at the moon.

Willowface shook starry drops from her whiskers. "We still don't know where we're meeting."

"Let's head for the centre," Brightheart suggested. "We should be able to hear the other cats, even if we can't see them." The two warriors headed for the central thicket. They hadn't gone far before they heard the gentle murmur of many cats greeting each other after a moon apart. Brightheart paused to taste the air. "All five Clans are here. This must be the place."

She led the way through a clump of thorns, swerving to avoid a particularly prickly branch. Willowface could hear prey rustling in the leaves around her, but was too excited to think of hunting. She tried to push her way through the brambles more quickly, but thorns caught her pelt. "Fox dung, I'm stuck!" she muttered.

Brightheart let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. "Don't worry. I'll help you. We can't have you missing the Gathering."

Willowface crouched down until her belly brushed the crisp dead leaves underneath the brambles, then she wriggled forward until the branches thinned and she broke out into the open. "Wow!" She was standing at the edge of a wide circle of grass that shone silver in the moonlight. It looked like a much smaller version of the lake, its surface rippling as the breeze brushed against the stems. A single oak tree grew in the centre. Roots thicker than a cat's body clutched at the ground, while branches shifted overhead and cast trembling shadows on the cats below.

"This is perfect!" Brightheart exclaimed, emerging from the bushes beside her.

Willowface looked around for her Clanmates. Heatherleaf had joined Cinderpelt and Leafberry near the tree roots. Littlecloud, the ShadowClan medicine cat, was padding over to sit beside them. Thistlespots and Eveningfur were standing in the shelter of the bushes further around the circle; after a shared glance, they went over to Copperfur and Reedwhisker of RiverClan, dipping their heads in greeting.

Willowface suddenly realized she had been nervous that ShadowClan and RiverClan would be hostile since they reached their new home. But this looked like a regular Gathering back at the old forest, with cats from the different Clans comfortably sharing news.

She twitched her ears to welcome Sheeptail, who had left the SkyClan cats he'd been talking to and padded across the grass to join his sister. "I love it here," Sheeptail rasped, his eyes shining, and Willowface guessed he felt safer here than he had at the old forest... especially towards the end. "It's smaller than Fourtrees, but it feels so secure."

As Willowface started to agree, she saw Firestar race across the clearing and leap into the tree; he clawed at the trunk, then pulled himself onto a low branch and stood looking down at the five Clans. "Dawnstar! Miststar! Leafstar! Oakstar!" he called. "We could sit here for the Gathering."

Dawnstar was the next to appear, speedy for a cat of her small size as she swarmed up the tree to crouch on the branch beside Firestar with her tail hanging down. Miststar settled herself in the fork between two branches not far from Firestar and Dawnstar; Leafstar climbed a little higher so she could look down at the other three and Oakstar sat idly beside Miststar. Tawnytail sat on one of the thick, twisting roots at the foot of the trunk. The other deputies, Ravencloud, Sharpclaw, Copperfur and Rowanclaw, joined her there.

Firestar let out a yowl. "**Cats of all Clans, welcome to this new Gathering place. StarClan has brought us here and we thank them**." He waited a moment while the warriors quietened down and then courteously dipped his head to the ThunderClan leader. "**Oakstar, would you like to begin?**"

The elderly ThunderClan leader rose to his paws, swaying on the thick branch before regaining his balance. His eyes gleamed dully in the moonlight, his grey-brown pelt turned to silver. "**All is well with ThunderClan**," he reported. "**Sorreltail is expecting her first litter, so she will not be at the next Gathering**." Yowls of congratulation rose from the throng of massed cats, aimed at the proud parents-to-be, Applefur and Sorreltail. Oakstar continued: "**We have held warrior and medicine cat ceremonies for five apprentices. Squirrelfang, Skyheart, Spiderclaw and Shrewfur are here tonight as full warriors of ThunderClan. Leafberry is also here, having gained her full medicine cat name after finding the Moonpool**." He sat down again as the new warriors and medicine cat were welcomed by the other cats.

Miststar was on her paws as soon as Oakstar had finished. "**There is no sign of the badger that we drove out a moon ago**," she announced. "**We think it has gone for good**." Willowface glanced across the clearing at Hawkfrost. He had led the patrol that got rid of RiverClan's badger. Willowface curled her lip when she saw how pleased with himself Hawkfrost looked. _Like he's the only warrior who ever fought a badger_, she thought resentfully. "**RiverClan also welcomes two new warriors**," Miststar went on. "**Beechfur and Aspenpelt sit vigil at the camp tonight**."

"Oakstar and Miststar seem very keen to report new warriors," Willowface whispered to her brother. "It's as if they're trying to show the other Clans how strong they are."

Sheeptail didn't comment, but Willowface could see his answer written in his eyes; he thought it was ridiculous that they should be rivals.

"**At the last Gathering**," Miststar went on, "**I agreed that the marshy ground where we first camped could be neutral territory so that we would have somewhere to gather. But now that StarClan has given us this island, I'm claiming the marshes for RiverClan**."

Willowface heard several cats muttering discontentedly; Heatherleaf exclaimed: "Mouse dung! Now I won't be able to collect herbs there."

"**The rest of the Clans have to agree**," Dawnstar pointed out, sinking her claws into the bark beneath her paws. "**There was neutral territory around Fourtrees**."

Miststar hissed lowly. "**Don't turn this place into the forest. Things are different here. For a start, every Clan bar my own has to cross another Clan's territory to reach this island. There's no point in having neutral territory**."

"**Miststar's right**," Firestar meowed. "**I don't see any reason why RiverClan can't have the marshes**." Miststar, surprised, coughed to cover her embarrassment before dipping her head to him, acknowledging his support. "**Oakstar, Leafstar — what do you think?**" Firestar asked.

Oakstar hesitated; Willowface guessed he would like to use the marshes to stock up on useful herbs for his Clan, but WindClan beat them in that they had the largest expanse of territory. "**Very well**," he growled.

Dawnstar shrugged. "**If you all agree, I don't object**." Leafstar merely nodded.

Miststar's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "**Then we will set our new scent markers by the edge of SkyClan territory by tomorrow**." Yowls of approval rose from the RiverClan cats; Firestar waited for them to die down before he started to speak.

"**I don't have much to report**," he admitted. "**Everything is going well and we have seen nothing of Twolegs since we moved into the territory**." Willowface was shocked. _Was he not going to mention Mudclaw's coup and Adderwhisker's near death?_ She glanced around to see whether the remainders of Mudclaw's supporters were joining in; she couldn't see Tornear at all, but the black she-cat, Nightshade, was crouching under a bush, gazing up at her leader with a furious expression on her face. "**This morning Ashfoot, Tawnytail and Crowflight drove a fox from our territory**," he went on. "**They fought well and I'm sure we've seen the last of it**."

A yowl of approval came from the cats below, mostly from WindClan, but some from other Clans, too. "Ashfoot! Tawnytail! Crowflight!"

Willowface didn't join in. "He hasn't mentioned Mudclaw's rebellion at all," she muttered to Brightheart. "Or how ThunderClan helped in the battle and how we warned him about the fox."

Brightheart glanced sideways at her. "Did you really think he would?"

Firestar stepped back and gestured with his tail to Dawnstar. Willowface tensed as the ShadowClan leader stood up. When Dawnstar spoke, it was to report that prey was plentiful in the pine woods. "**We found an old badger set not far from the Twoleg nest**," she meowed. "**But we could barely detect the scent. It must have been abandoned long ago**." The small tabby she-cat sat back down and nodded in Leafstar's direction.

The brown and cream leader rose to her paws. "**All is well in SkyClan. We've learned Bouncefire and Plumwillow are going to be parents in a moon**." More approving yowls came, this time mostly from SkyClan. "**Sharpclaw, Blackstone and Rockshade drove off a dog. It ran back to its Twoleg**."

Now that the leaders had finished speaking, Willowface assumed the Gathering was over, but the full moon still floated overhead and Firestar began to speak once more. "**Clan leaders and cats of all Clans**," he began, "**there's something we need to decide. This is the Gathering place StarClan have chosen for us, but as Miststar said, all of us except RiverClan have to cross another Clan's territory to reach it. We need to decide exactly where cats can travel in each other's territory when it's time to gather**."

"Good idea," Willowface commented under her breath.

"**There's no need for ThunderClan to cross through our territory to get here**," Dawnstar meowed instantly. "**It's much quicker for you to come across WindClan and SkyClan**."

Willowface saw Oakstar stiffen and she guessed he was holding back a sharp retort. "**Yes, but we still need to discuss it**," Oakstar mewed.

"**I don't mind any cat coming from either direction as far as the tree bridge**," Miststar meowed. "**But no cat has permission to take prey from RiverClan**."

"**The same goes for WindClan**," Firestar added, rising to his paws again. "**Oakstar, you can bring your cats across my territory, but I want you to keep within two fox-lengths of the lake. If my warriors catch you anywhere else, we'll regard it as trespass**."

"**That sounds reasonable**," Oakstar replied calmly. "**Let's make that a general rule**." He raised his voice so every cat could hear. "**A Clan may cross another territory to come to Gatherings, but they must stay within two fox-lengths of the lakeshore and travel without stopping**."

"**And take no prey**," Dawnstar added.

A murmur of agreement hung in the air above the cats; what Oakstar proposed sounded fair.

Cinderpelt stood up. "Will the same rule apply to cats who want to visit the Moonpool? Because they would have to leave the lakeshore and cross either our territory or WindClan's to reach the hills."

"**WindClan always allowed cats to cross our territory in the old forest when they were going to the Moonstone**," Firestar pointed out. He shared the respect that all cats felt for Cinderpelt.

"**True**," Oakstar meowed. "**And I don't see any reason not to do the same here**."

"**But those should be the only two exceptions**," Dawnstar put in, with a glance at Oakstar. "**Otherwise, we may as well forget about our boundaries altogether**."

"No, wait," Copperfur glanced up from her root. "Cats who cross borders aren't always hostile. We all need to visit other Clans sometimes. Surely we don't need to be more suspicious here than we were in the old forest?"

Willowface remembered Copperfur's urgent visit to Firestar when she discovered that Mudclaw and Hawkfrost were plotting together. She had risked crossing SkyClan's territory and nearly been caught by a patrol.

"That makes sense," Crowflight agreed softly. His blue eyes gazed unblinkingly across the clearing. Willowface couldn't see what he was staring at.

"**If no cat has more to say, we should end the Gathering**," Firestar meowed.

"**Fine by me**," Dawnstar mewed. Oakstar, Leafstar and Miststar nodded.

As Willowface stood up and stretched, she noticed Brambleclaw of ThunderClan sitting beside Hawkfrost. The RiverClan warrior was meowing something into his ear and Brambleclaw was nodding slowly.

_Maybe he's telling him what a great deputy he'd make_, Willowface thought grimly, having heard the stories from Tawnypelt that Tigershadow was Brambleclaw and Tawnypelt's father. If it were true that Brambleclaw wanted to be deputy, that must mean he thought Oakstar was wrong to insist that Graystripe might still be alive. Worse than that, it was only one step from being deputy to Clan leader. Was Brambleclaw looking ahead to the time when Oakstar would lose his last life?

A shiver ran through Willowface's pelt as she thought of the elderly leader's death and cold gripped her with icy claws as she remembered everything she knew about Tigershadow. He had been prepared to kill to become deputy and then Clan leader. Did his son, Brambleclaw, share the same ambitions? And would he be prepared to take the same murderous path to achieve them?

...

**A/N: 3777 words? You serious? Jeez, what a whopper! I thought I'd never get this chapter done. But here it is and it took all of two days. I'm mentally exhausted already. Source used was chapter 5 of Twilight. Anyway, what happens next? Find out in the next chapter!**


	3. Ch 2: Willowbreeze's Warning part 1

_**Chapter 2: Willowbreeze's Warning part 1**_

Leafberry stayed sitting down as her sister and Ashfur headed into the bushes toward the lakeshore. She gazed across the clearing to where she had last seen Crowflight. She spotted the WindClan tom at once; he was looking straight back at her.

Leafberry glanced around. Other cats moved in the shadows; the brambles behind her rustled as they pushed through them on their way back to the tree bridge. No cat seemed to be paying much attention to her.

She started to circle the clearing, keeping to where the moonlight threw deep shadows.

"Leafberry!"

The young medicine cat froze, feeling her pelt tingle with frustration. She took a deep breath before turning around. "Yes, Cinderpelt?"

"Come on, you're being left behind."

Leafberry narrowed her eyes. Her Clanmates had only just left the clearing. Was Cinderpelt deliberately keeping her away from Crowflight?

"Okay, Cinderpelt, I'm coming." Leafberry shot a glance over her shoulder and saw Crowflight watching her with anguish in his eyes. She knew she couldn't do anything but follow Cinderpelt into the bushes. _I'm a medicine cat_, she told herself as she ducked under the prickly branches. _I can't love Crowflight and he can't love me_. She repeated it over and over, all the way back to the ThunderClan camp, but she knew it wasn't true and all she could see was the look in Crowflight's eyes as she left.

...

A sweet scent drifted around Leafberry and a voice murmured her name. When she blinked open her eyes, the cat standing in front of her had a silvery-grey pelt and eyes of clearest blue. Starlight sparkled around her paws and at the end of her whiskers.

Leafberry stared at her, bewildered as to who this cat was.

Beyond her nest among the brambles outside Cinderpelt's den, the hollow was bathed in silvery light. But several days had passed since the Gathering and the moon was waning. Leafberry knew she was dreaming.

She stood up. "Who-"

"My name is Willowbreeze; I was Silverstream's mother."

Leafberry guessed Willowbreeze had come to talk to her about Crowflight. A pang of guilt shot through her. Feathertail and Crowflight had loved each other so much, so was Feathertail's ancestor here to scold her? Was Willowbreeze angry that Crowflight had fallen in love with another cat?

"I-I'm sorry," Leafberry stammered.

Willowbreeze swept her tail across Leafberry's mouth. "We need to talk, but not here. Follow me."

She led the way into the clearing. Leafberry tried to walk as lightly as if she were stalking a mouse, then she wondered if the Clan could hear her when this was only a dream.

A bright, unearthly light flooded the hollow. Brightheart and Sootfur, on watch, looked like cats made of stone, their coats the colour of moonlight. Neither stirred as Willowbreeze and Leafberry crept past them and out through the thorn tunnel.

Once they were several fox-lengths away from the camp, Willowbreeze found a comfortable spot in a clump of long grass and settled down, gesturing with her tail for Leafberry to join her.

"I can guess what you're thinking," she meowed. "You think I'm angry about Crowflight, don't you?"

Leafberry blinked at her, too ashamed to admit to her suspicion.

"Do you think I wouldn't want to see Feathertail's former mate happy?" Willowbreeze asked gently. "You make him happy; I can see that."

"I'm a medicine cat!" Leafberry protested. Her fur tingled with delight that Willowbreeze wasn't angry — more than that, she seemed to _want_ Leafberry and Crowflight to be together — but she knew it was more complicated than that. "I wish I could make him happy, but I can't."

"That's not why I'm here," Willowbreeze told her. "There's something I need you to do."

Leafberry pricked her ears. "What?"

"It's the RiverClan medicine cats," Willowbreeze's expression clouded. "I have an important message for them, but I can't reach them due to severe sickness."

Leafberry felt icy water trickle down her spine, making her fur stand on end. Severe sickness? How long had they been suffering for?

"Cloudflower's really good with healing herbs," she told Willowbreeze.

"I know," Willowbreeze meowed. "But nearly every cat is sick and the illness is stopping us from getting messages through." More briskly, she added: "Leafberry, I need to tell Cloudflower something urgently. I can't reach her, so could you take the message to her?"

"What would you like me to say?" Leafberry knew she wouldn't refuse Willowbreeze's request. She would do anything to help Feathertail's ancestor.

"Tell her..."

...

**A/N: I leave you with a cliffhanger! Aren't I a cheapskate? What happens next? Find out in part 2**.


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